Page 96 of Sweet Possession

Helping him up the stairs was no easy feat, not when he was the sizehe was.

“Hold onto the rail, Daddy,”I said, trying to hold onto his other side.

With physical strength I didn’t know I had, I managed to help him upthe stairs, doing my best to ignore the stench of alcohol and keep our balance. When we reached the landing, Fox suddenly grabbed me, pulling me against his front and tickling my sides.

“Daddy, stop!”I squealed, the two of us laughing.

But my laughter died when I inhaled the strong flowery scentof perfume.

Panic crawled up my throat as I pulled out of his grasp. The voicethatalways spoke when I was in the clutches of insecurities started.

He was with someone else tonight. It was only a matter of time…

“I fuck…love you…baby girl,”he slurred, his body still swaying, hiseyes glassy.“Best,”he hiccuped.“Thing...to ever happen.”

I took a calming breath.

No.

No. Fox wouldn’t dothatto me. There was bound to be anexplanation as to why he smelled like women’s perfume. I only had to ask.

“Same, Daddy,”I said, trying to rein in my emotions.“Come on, let’sgo to bed.”

He let me pull him down the hallway and to our bedroom.“Was itjustyou and Nash who went out?”I asked casually, hoping I didn’t sound like a jealous girlfriend.

His response was nothing but gibberish, and as we walked into thebedroom, he pulled his hand out of mine and face-planted across the bed.

“Daddy?”

He didn’t move. A beat later, a loud snore rumbled from his mouth.

I rolled my eyes.

Pulling his shoes and socks off, I tried to roll him over so Icould at least take his pants off, but he was an impossible weight to move, and with the steady snores coming from him, I had little chance of waking him up.

There was no way I could get into the bed with the way he waslaying. Figuring I’d have to sleep in my old room, I reached over to empty his pockets. At least if he rolled over in the night, he wouldn’t crush his phone.

It was his wallet I pulled out of the first pocket, and as I went to put iton the side, something fluttered out of it.

A piece ofpaper.

I bent to pick it up, not intending to look at whatever it was, but unableto help myself.

It was a receipt.

A receipt for a very expensive meal at a very expensive restaurant calledLe Voilewhichhadto be for more than one person.

A meal he’d had at lunchtime when he told me he was at work.

Chapter 27

Cora

Itossed and turned all night, trying to convince myselfthatI hadnothing to worry about. Fox had probably gone out at lunchtime with a client; he told me he didthatquite often. Schmoozing clients was part of his job.

Or maybe he and Nash had grabbed lunch.Justbecause he’d eatenat a restaurant with someone when he said he was working, didn’t mean he’d lied to me.

And as for the perfume, I was sure there was an innocentexplanation.